


Where There's Smoke

by Leslie_Knope



Series: NurseyDex Week [3]
Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: First Dates, First Kiss, Fluff, Getting Together, M/M, sorta - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-21
Updated: 2017-07-21
Packaged: 2018-12-05 02:40:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,637
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11568603
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Leslie_Knope/pseuds/Leslie_Knope
Summary: “Then you needend upon a date without actuallyaskinghim on a date,” Bitty says firmly, and Dex raises his eyebrows.“That seems like a clichéd, awful idea.”





	Where There's Smoke

**Author's Note:**

> For day six of [NurseyDex Week](https://nurseydexweek.tumblr.com/), Soft™. There aren’t nearly enough fics about the SMH folks going to [WaterFire](https://www.google.com/search?q=waterfire&tbm=isch) in Providence, so here’s my contribution!

“My sweet, sweet frog.”

Dex groans, the noise muffled into the pillow that he’s holding over his face. “I’m not doing so great, Bitty.”

“You’re gonna be fine.” Bitty climbs onto his own bed and sits against the wall, pulling Dex’s legs over his lap. “I still think that for your own sanity, you need to do something.”

Dex pulls the pillow away so Bitty can get the full brunt of his expression and how much he does _not_ appreciate that suggestion. “Um, no. We’re, like, _living together_ and actually getting along, and I don’t wanna do anything to screw it up.”

“Sweetie.”

“I can’t just ask him out!”

“And why not?”

“Because the thought of it makes me wanna throw up.”

Bitty sighs and pats Dex’s shin. This is a familiar argument, but usually Bitty gives up sooner. Not that Dex can blame him, really, with how often he slinks across the hall to Bitty’s room just to whine about his pathetic crush on Nursey.

“Then you need _end up_ on a date without actually _asking_ him on a date,” he says firmly, and Dex raises his eyebrows.

“That seems like a clichéd, awful idea.”

Bitty rolls his eyes. “I’m giving you an opportunity here. Jack and I have been meaning to go to WaterFire, and y’all should just come with us. There’s one this weekend.”

“I have no idea what that is,” Dex admits.

Bitty waves his hand. “It’s this public art installation thing, there’s a lot of fire and it’s really romantic. And it’s right up Nursey’s alley, he’ll totally be up for it.”

“Are you sure?”

“Trust me.”

* * *

Dex has to give Bitty credit. He catches Nursey and Dex alone in the Haus kitchen late Saturday afternoon and drops a heavy hint about going to WaterFire. Nursey jumps on it immediately, talking about how cool it seems, but then his face falls.

“Aw. I don’t wanna third-wheel your date night, though.”

Bitty starts to protest, but Dex knows his opening when he sees it. “I’ll go.” He keeps his voice steady and doesn’t even look up from his textbook.

“Perfect!” Bitty says, clapping his hands. “We’ll leave for the train station in an hour.”

It happens faster than Dex can process—he doesn’t even get a chance to worry about what he’s going to _wear_ —and before he knows it, the three of them are on the train, munching on the lemon bars that Bitty brought with him.

Jack meets them at the train station, and he and Nursey take the lead on the way out while Bitty hangs back to whisper at Dex. “We’ll probably get split up immediately, due to the all the people. Jack will get tired of the crowds after half an hour, tops, so we’ll go back to the apartment and then y’all will have hours to yourselves.”

Bitty winks at him, and Dex resolves never to doubt any of his plans ever again.

They head up to Jack’s apartment first, just so that Bitty can drop off his overnight bag. Jack offers to help him carry it into his bedroom—which, really?—and Dex and Nursey are left standing awkwardly in the kitchen.

“You think they’re doing it?” Dex asks, just to break the silence, and Nursey laughs, grinning wide.

“I hope they can keep it in their pants for the moment, I really don’t want to miss the beginning.”

When they emerge about five minutes later, Bitty’s cheeks are flushed, his hair definitely more mussed than it was before, but after exchanging a quick look, Dex and Nursey silently decide not to chirp him about it.

Before they leave, Jack hands Dex a key. “You’re welcome to the guest room, if you guys want to stay later than the last train, eh?” He adds a slightly-awkward wink, and Dex sighs as he stuffs the key into his pocket. Good to know that nothing with Bitty is a secret.

And sure enough, the crowd swallows them up nearly as soon as they step out of Jack’s building, and before long Dex can’t spot Jack’s blue baseball cap anymore. Dex makes a half-hearted attempt to find them, using his height advantage to peer over the crowd, but Nursey tugs at his elbow.

“C’mon, they’re about to start the lighting, and I want a good spot.”

They finally find one, balancing on a narrow strip of a step with their backs against a tree. It’s tight enough that their shoulders are pressed together, but Nursey seems unbothered.

The lighting starts, and it’s…definitely unlike anything Dex has ever seen before. The main basin has a couple dozen big braziers, all situated in a circle, there are torches all along the outside, and a fire dancer in a boat lights them all. The music is super trippy—very _spiritual_ —but even Dex can admit that it fits the mood.

As soon as they’re all lit and blazing away, Nursey hops down from their step and jerks his head. “Let’s go see the rest.”

“There’s more?”

“Yeah, there’s like a hundred of those brazier things, all down the river.”

“Have you been here before?” he asks curiously, but Nursey shakes his head.

“Nah. I’ve read about it, though. Really cool example of a public art installation.”

The paths are narrow, and they can just barely inch along. “I cannot believe how many people are here, this is insane,” Dex grumbles as he shoulders past a group of high school kids.

“You get claustrophobic or something?”

Dex tenses, but the gaze Nursey shoots over his shoulder looks more concerned than teasing. “No,” he says honestly. “Just not used to crowds this heavy.”

“Reminds me of home.”

He stops to grin, and Dex can’t help but smile back a little, even as he shoves at his shoulder. “C’mon, stop holding everyone up.”

They wander along the river, the crowds forcing them to go slow, and after a few minutes, Nursey’s eyes light up. “Ooh, Del’s!”

“You were complaining about being cold not 10 minutes ago, and now you want frozen lemonade?”

“Bitty was telling me that it’s like, Rhode Island’s _thing_. I gotta try it.”

Dex shrugs. “It’s not that special.”

“Dude, are you hating on Rhode Island?”

“I’m allowed to, I’m from Maine.”

Nursey laughs and pays for his frozen lemonade. They reach the blocks with food and vendors, and the smell of the roasted nuts lures Dex in.

“Those always smell better than they actually taste, y’know,” Nursey whispers, practically leaning up against him, and Dex tries to ignore it as he hands a few bills to the guy manning the cart.

“Then you can’t have any.” He holds the bag closer to his chest, and Nursey pouts.

“No, wait, they smell really good.”

“Too bad.” He twists away from Nursey, dodging his hand.

They keep walking while they eat, past the living statues and the live bands, all the way down to the little park at the end, which is full of lit-up stars in the trees and lanterns on the ground. All the lanterns have messages written at the bottom, tributes to people who have passed away, and Dex has to stop reading them after about two.

“This is awesome,” Nursey says with a satisfied smile, and Dex nods. He knows that this isn’t a date, obviously, but it’s good to know that if he _had_ picked it as an actual date, Nursey would have liked it. “I think we’ve seen the whole thing, what do you wanna do?”

Dex suddenly feels a lot of pressure, like he needs to make the right decision. “Um…we could just sit and watch for a while? That section over there looks a little less crowded.”

Nursey nods and gestures with his arm. “Lead the way.”

They find a spot near one of the bridges and sit with their legs dangling over the water, watching the fires burn. Turns out, Nursey looks really good in firelight. This isn’t at all surprising, considering that Nursey looks good in _literally_ everything all the time—and Dex has seen Nursey hungover with actual leaves in his hair—but still.

He keeps sneaking glances at him, so he notices when Nursey shivers.

“Are you cold?”

“It’s freaking freezing. How are you _not_ cold? Dude, you aren’t even wearing a jacket.”

Dex suppresses a smile. “It’s like, 50 degrees. It’s comfortable. And there’s fire, you know, right there.”

“You’re nuts,” Nursey mumbles as he tucks his face deeper into the collar of his jacket. Dex wishes he were wearing a jacket, actually, so he could offer it to Nursey. Though that might be too clichéd, even for him.

“Maybe you shouldn’t have had that frozen lemonade.”

Nursey scoffs. “No regrets.”

“Hashtag YOLO,” Dex murmurs, and Nursey cracks up.

“I cannot believe that the word _hashtag_ just came out of your mouth.”

“Shut up. I was mocking you.”

“ _Riiight_ ,” he says, drawing out the word in that annoying way of his. They watch in silence for a while, as a wooden boat named _Aphrodite_ floats by and people dressed all in black toss more wood into each brazier. “You haven’t complained about the music yet.”

Dex leans back on his hands and worries his lower lip in between his teeth. “Is that what you do? Just wait with bated breath for me to complain about stuff?”

“You caught me.” Nursey grins, the whiteness of his teeth cutting through the dark, and Dex shakes his head with a dry chuckle.

“Yeah, it’s not exactly my style. Fits, though. I guess.”

Nursey’s eyebrows lift, and Dex tries not to wilt under the scrutiny. “Who are you, and who have you done with Dex?”

“Shut up.” He flushes, embarrassingly, and hopes that it’s dark enough to cover it. “Hey, I’ll be right back.”

“Whoa, whoa, where’re you going.” Nursey tugs at the bottom hem of Dex’s jeans when he stands.

“I said, I’ll be right back. Save my spot.”

“No promises,” Nursey calls out, and Dex would flip him off if there weren’t so many kids around. He settles for glaring over his shoulder instead. He heads back to the concession area, where thankfully the lines have gotten shorter.

His spot is still open when he gets back, firmly saved by Nursey’s empty cup of frozen lemonade. He moves it and sits down.

“What is that?” Nursey asks.

“Hot chocolate.”

“Did you seriously get hot chocolate just to torture me?”

Dex rolls his eyes. “No, you idiot, I got it for you. I’m the one who’s, y’know, perfectly capable of properly regulating my own body temperature.”

“Chirp all you want, I’m not even listening to you right now.” He snatches the cup from Dex’s hands and takes a sip, then pulls back with a curse and sucks his lower lip into his mouth.

“It’s hot,” Dex says mildly, and Nursey elbows him. He takes another sip, this one much more cautiously. He keeps worrying at the tender spot on his lip with his tongue, though, and Dex _really_ needs him to stop.

“Thanks, dude.”

“You’re welcome.”

“It’s pretty good, have some.”

Dex takes the cup. He isn’t that cold, really—the fires and the constant low-level embarrassment are keeping him plenty toasty—but the warmth still feels good spreading through his chest.

They share the rest of it, passing the cup back and forth, and it’s weirdly intimate. Dex is trying not to think about it.

Watching the fires is really nice, in a meditative way, and the music is loud enough that Dex doesn’t feel like he has to fill every silence with conversation. They pass the time of the last train, but Dex certainly doesn’t mention it. Nursey doesn’t either, but that’s probably just because he has no idea what time it is.

After about the eighth time Nursey yawns, Dex nudges their shoulders together. “You wanna go?”

Nursey leans his head against Dex’s and makes a vaguely negative noise. Dex freezes—Nursey can be kind of handsy, kind of cuddly, though never quite like this—but Nursey doesn’t move away again. If anything, he nestles closer. And if Dex weren’t such a chickenshit, he’d put his arm around him. He settles for leaning a little harder instead.

Dex stares at the flames for a while longer, not moving a muscle and trying to memorize the feel of Nursey’s body slumped against his. But once he feels Nursey actually start to drift off, drooping heavily, he jostles him. “C’mon, let’s go. I’m not hauling your ass all the way to Jack’s.”

Nursey groans but sits up straight, stretching his arms over his head. His fucking shirt rides up because of course it does, and Dex stands. Nursey reaches an arm up, and Dex manages to haul him to his feet without either of them falling into the river.

And then in a random burst of courage, he hangs onto Nursey’s hand instead of naturally letting go. Nursey literally trips, narrowly dodging a small child, and Dex is glad for the distraction.

“Oh my god, you are hopeless,” he mumbles, but it comes out sounding alarmingly fond.

“Shut up,” Nursey snaps, but he doesn’t let go, either.

The crowds are thinner now, and they can easily walk side-by-side along the river back to Jack’s. Dex has to let go of Nursey’s hand to scrounge for the key, which is a shame.

The condo is dark when they get in, the only faint light streaming in through the windows from WaterFire eight stories down. Jack’s bedroom door is shut, and there isn’t even a crack of light peeking out from the bottom.

“They’re probably asleep,” Dex whispers.

“Or having _really_ quiet sex,” Nursey says, not as soft, and Dex rolls his eyes. He gestures awkwardly at the couch.

“Do you want the guest room, and I can, uh—”

“Nah,” Nursey says, his voice tight. “C’mon.”

Nursey tugs him by the hand into the bedroom, which is such a ridiculous concept that Dex can barely comprehend it. Nursey immediately disappears into the bathroom, though, so Dex goes back into the kitchen for a glass of water, just for something to do. He frets while he drinks it, obviously, because what the fuck else is he supposed to do now that he and Nursey are _holding hands_ but apparently not talking about it.

After what seems like an appropriate amount of time, Dex heads back into the guest bedroom. Nursey’s curled up in bed, just his head visible, pile of clothes on the floor at the foot of the bed, and Dex tip-toes past into the bathroom. There’s a stash of spare toothbrushes in the top drawer—Bitty’s doing, certainly—and he quickly brushes his teeth and pees. He doesn’t have anything else to sleep in, obviously, so he strips off his flannel and jeans. Hopefully Nursey won’t be offended with him sleeping in his boxers and undershirt.

He pulls the sheets back carefully and tries to ease into bed, not wanting to disturb Nursey in case he’s already asleep. But as soon as he’s settled on his back, Nursey flips around and basically plasters himself against his side.

Dex panics, his hand hovering dumbly in the air—oh god, Nursey’s not wearing a shirt.

At first he thinks it’s just sleep-cuddling or something, but then after a minute Nursey’s hand creeps across his stomach, too cautious and deliberate to be an accident.

“Dex?”

Even though Nursey’s voice is soft, it cracks the silence like a wrecking ball, and Dex has to swallow before he can respond. “Yeah.”

He has no idea what he’s saying yes to, but he doesn’t really care, either. Nursey’s hand is on his side under his shirt now, big and broad enough to span his ribs. He squeezes slightly, and after a second, Dex realizes that he’s holding his breath. He tries to let it out quietly.

Nursey’s breaths are too shallow for him to be asleep, but he’s not saying anything as he traces lazy patterns with his finger on the skin of Dex’s stomach.

Dex flexes subconsciously—and then, to be honest, a little bit on purpose once he realizes it—but Nursey’s hand just bumps down the ridges of his abs, maddeningly soft.

This is firmly out of bro territory, right? Nursey is lying on his chest, shirtless, with Dex’s shirt rucked up, and he’s _touching_ him. There is nothing platonic about this. Nursey is not at all inebriated, neither of them are, obviously, but Dex is still having a hard time believing this is actually happening.

“Are you freaking out?”

“No.” He answers too fast, and Nursey catches it.

“Lie.”

 _Fuck_.

Dex wets his lips. “Not for the reason you’re probably thinking.”

“Enlighten me, then.”

It’s dark and quiet and all Dex can smell is smoke and Nursey’s familiar cologne. Fuck it, right?

“I’ve kind of wanted this for a really long time, and I’m not entirely sure that this isn’t a dream.”

Nursey doesn’t budge, though his finger does twitch for a moment before he resumes his pattern. He doesn’t seem scared off, which is good, but he isn’t saying anything, either.

And he continues _not_ to say anything for what feels like an hour, and it takes everything Dex has not to fidget. He wants to be _chill_ about this, but he’s an uptight guy, okay, and he really needs to know where they stand, for the sake of his own sanity. He thrust his feelings out into the void, and how they’re just _dangling_ there, raw and exposed and unused to the elements.

“Are you seriously gonna leave me hanging here? You’re the words person around here, please find some.”

Nursey’s hand pauses, then flattens out. His whole body slides up a bit, his hand coming to rest on Dex’s chest, his forehead tucked into the curve of his neck. “I—I don’t know what to say.” He presses the words into Dex’s collarbone then punctuates them with a kiss, soft enough that Dex isn’t even sure that he felt it.

Dex _wants_ to be pissed—because seriously, Nurse?—but it’s a little bit difficult to worry about rolling his eyes when Nursey is moving, levering up on one arm and curving one hand around Dex’s cheek before he presses their lips together, almost too soft to even be a real kiss.

Dex’s fingers clench around nothing, and his breath hitches as he stills for a second, as his entire brain recalibrates. Nursey smiles into it, just a little, and Dex thankfully gets all his faculties back in time to kiss him back, to arch up a bit and chase Nursey’s lips. It’s deep and lush, a fucking _good_ kiss, and Dex is unreasonably sad when they eventually have to pull away for breath.

Nursey is panting a little, which is ridiculously gratifying and sends a thrill right down Dex’s spine. His hands are soft, though, almost hesitant—like he’s scared Dex is going to disappear from underneath him or crumble into dust if Nursey touches him with any actual intent.

So Dex hooks a leg around Nursey’s, rolling them. Nursey goes so easily, pliable and responsive in a way that he rarely is with Dex off the ice, and it makes his gut clench as he braces his knees on either side of Nursey’s thighs. Dex kisses him harder in response, and Nursey makes a little desperate noise that Dex wants to fucking _frame_ , just so he can point to it later.

But it’s his turn to make a noise of his own when Nursey’s fingers curl in the hem of Dex’s shirt, tugging. “Just—” His voice cracks, and his Adam’s apple bobs before he tries again. “Can I take this off? Just this?”

Dex scrambles up to his knees and yanks it off, going for speed over anything resembling sexy, but being able to press their skin together half a second sooner is worth the price of Nursey’s huff of laughter. Especially when Dex can kiss it away, can get Nursey to be instantly quiet just by sucking his lower lip into his mouth, scraping his teeth over it and then pressing forward to swallow Nursey’s moan.

They kiss and kiss and kiss, and Dex gives in to the temptation to just _touch_ , to let his hands drift over Nursey’s arms and shoulders and chest. Nursey returns the favor, and Dex is fairly confident that he’s never been happier than he is in this moment.

It seems to be an unspoken agreement between them that they can’t actually have sex in Jack’s guest bedroom, so their kisses slow down after a while, until they’re on lying their sides, arms curled loosely around one another. Nursey’s busy mouthing at Dex’s collarbone, probably leaving a mark, but Dex can’t bring himself to actually worry about that right now.

It smells like WaterFire, and now Dex will never be able to get a whiff of wood smoke without thinking about Nursey, about how the smell curls in his hair and hangs around them like a shroud.

But for the love of God, Dex will get Nursey to talk, if it’s the last thing he does. He’s not feeling as nervous now, though, and he nudges Nursey’s temple with his nose until he looks up. “What?”

Dex swallows. “So is this a thing we do now?” It’s quiet, and Nursey still doesn’t say anything. “Now you’re just being quiet to piss me off, aren’t you.”

Nursey muffles his laugh into the skin of Dex’s shoulder, and in spite of himself, Dex smiles.

“You are the actual worst, I hope you know that.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Nursey moves his hand up to Dex’s hair and tugs him down. “Just shut up and kiss me again.”

**Author's Note:**

> [Tumblr](http://leslieknopeismyshiningstar.tumblr.com/)


End file.
